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Are you ready for tonight’s presidential debates? We are here to help you get the most out of watching it and, more importantly, engaging with this important event.

Where and when can I watch?

Just like the last round of debates, the crowded Democratic field means this round will also be split into two nights, each featuring 10 candidates. The first debate is tonight, July 30, at 8pm EDT, and the second debate is tomorrow night, July 31, at 8pm EDT. Both debates will be broadcast live on CNN, from the Fox Theatre in Detroit. As you know, Greater Detroit has the biggest concentration of Arab Americans in the country, so let’s make sure our issues come up tonight (more on that below).

Which candidates will be featured in each debate night?

Here are the candidates for each night – we included their Twitter handles to make it easier for you to engage with them during the debate. 

Tonight, July 30 

Tomorrow, July 31 

Candidate 

Twitter Handle 

Candidate 

Twitter Handle 

Bernie Sanders  

@BernieSanders <[link removed]>

Joe Biden 

@JoeBiden <[link removed]>

Elizabeth Warren 

@ewarren <[link removed]>

Kamala Harris 

@KamalaHarris <[link removed]>

Pete Buttigieg  

@PeteButtigieg <[link removed]>

Julian Castro

@JulianCastro <[link removed]>

Beto O'Rourke

@BetoORourke <[link removed]>

Kirsten Gillibrand

@SenGillibrand <[link removed]>

Amy Klobuchar 

@amyklobuchar <[link removed]>

Cory Booker 

@CoryBooker <[link removed]>

Tim Ryan 

@TimRyan <[link removed]>

Tulsi Gabbard 

@TulsiGabbard <[link removed]>

Marianne Williamson

@marwilliamson <[link removed]>

Andrew Yang 

@AndrewYang <[link removed]>

John Hickenlooper

@Hickenlooper  <[link removed]>

Bill De Blasio 

@BilldeBlasio <[link removed]>

John Delaney 

@JohnDelaney <[link removed]>

Michael Bennet 

@MichaelBennet <[link removed]>

Steve Bullock

@GovernorBullock <[link removed]>

Jay Inslee 

@JayInslee <[link removed]>


Who’s moderating?

This set of debates will have three CNN moderators (listed below). In addition to directing questions during the debate, they will keep you informed of any news before and after the debate.



Host

Twitter Handle 

Dana Bash

@DanaBashCNN <[link removed]>

Don Lemon

@donlemon  <[link removed]>

Jake Tapper

@jaketapper <[link removed]>


Where do the candidates stand on AAI’s priority issues?

Want to know where the candidates stand on some of the issues of primary concern to us? Visit our candidate profiles here. <[link removed]>

<[link removed]>What’s being discussed at this debate?

Standard policy issues, from immigration and health care to climate change and student debt, are likely to come up tonight. President Donald Trump’s bigoted remarks at four freshmen women of color in Congress are also a likely topic of debate. Gun violence and white supremacy, given Sunday’s shooting in California, may also come up.

Let’s try to raise the additional issues our community is concerned about by engaging on social media.

How should I engage on social media?

• Direct Questions to the Moderators: Make use of the moderators’  Twitter handles above and ask them to pose questions. Not sure what you want them to ask? Here are a couple of tweet-length suggestions:

- The Israeli government has declared its opposition to the two-state solution, & last week they destroyed dozens of Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem. What specifically will you do to hold them accountable and how do we end the occupation? #DemDebate
- Beyond the now-removed citizenship question, the Trump admin has tampered with the #2020Census in ways that undermine an accurate count. How will you ensure that marginalized communities are accurately counted by the census in the future? #DemDebate
- Our country currently has a discriminatory ban in place that targets Muslims, refugees and asylum seekers. What will you do to end the ban and support the #NOBANAct?


• Use the relevant #hashtags: There will be countless hashtags flying around, and the official hashtag used by CNN is #DemDebate. To make sure we find & interact with Arab Americans engaging on social media, please use #YallaVote. We also encourage you to use issue-specific hashtags like #RefugeesWelcome for the border crisis, #PalestineIs for Israel/Palestine-related discussions, #NOBANAct for Trump’s Muslim, refugee and asylum ban, #NoWarWithIran for (you guessed it) war with Iran, #2020Census for the census, and #FairMaps for fair redistricting efforts.  

• Amplify the Issues: When candidates say the right thing on policy issues that concern you, amplify them. When they say the wrong thing, take a moment to fact-check (and tag) them. Just make sure you’re not a spectator, but a participant on our national conversation about the future of our country. Tweeting and engaging on social media during the debates is a great way to highlight the issues that matter to you when they are relevant to the conversation.

• Default to positive engagement: With these debates, it’s almost guaranteed that someone will say something ill-informed, or just all around terrible. Even in these instances, it’s still best to constructively criticize the candidates or moderators rather than bash them, educating your social media audience in the process about the issue they got wrong. The goal is, first and foremost, to improve the discourse on our issues.

• Finally, make sure to tag us <[link removed]> in your posts so we can amplify your work too.

If you’re still reading, you can stop now, you’re pretty much good to go!

Arab American Institute
<[link removed]>[link removed]



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